In the desert mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico, Los Danzantes hand-harvest a blend of 12-year old agave’ plants by machete and roast it for three days in wood-fired pits to caramelize the natural sugars. They press grind the agave’ hearts under a mule-turned stone mill to extract the golden juices and pulp-ferment it in wooden barrels with natural, local, Oaxaca yeasts. They even transfer the yeast from batch to batch—just like the Americans are making their Whiskey with Sour Mash or fine sourdough bread—so that the best yeast from the best batches is the one that is used again and again.

It is an amazing, time-consuming, artistic dance of perfection. In fact, the name “Los Danzantes” translates as “The Dancers,” and they have earned that name in spades. They produce a variety of fine Alipus branded Mezcal separated by the family and village that produced it and subtle differences in the blend of agave plants that make up each batch.

The guys at San Andres actually blend in a bit of Cuishe Agave during fermentation to add more fruit and floral spice to the flavor. This pure agave distillate is a benchmark of what Mezcal could and should be.

It is a very good rich & surprisingly wood-y joven Mezcal with a floral birth; while a fruity & woody life; leads to a long & complex death.

Oliver,
Nov 26, 2017

Earthy

KALEUNG,
Aug 25, 2017

Same ashtray feeling as others feel... Yuk...

Loye,
Jul 4, 2017

Nice sweetness backed with some smoke and spice. Minimal burn. Good sipper.

Barry,
Jun 24, 2017

Smokiness not overbearing, sweet notes but a bit of a burn on the back end and a tiny bit bitter

Mike,
Jun 19, 2017

We liked the smooth smoky flavor.

Cousin,
Jun 13, 2017

Perfect mezcal for the price I paid it (~37 €), great for both sipping or mixing, earthy, floral, lightly smokey, smooth.
Excellent bargain!

Jonathan,
Jun 1, 2017

Smooth but the smoke was overpowering. There was a hint of spice that made it somewhat bearable. Not a fan.

Robert,
Apr 21, 2017

To me and the people I shared it with, we all agreed that it tasted like liquid cigarettes. Perhaps if we were smokers we'd feel differently but this was hands down by far the worst tasting thing we've ever had from Flaviar. I tried is a second time just to give it a fair chance and it was even worse. 30 minutes later I had to drink some Tawny port to get the tobacco flavor out of my mouth.

damian,
Apr 6, 2017

Absolutely awesome mezcal, great as a shot

Sam,
Apr 2, 2017

Way more flavor than my favorite. Still tho, as a whiskey palette, this stuff is great. Takes a bit to grow on you. But if you can.... let it. Maybe because my taste buds have been road tested by the industry but I prefer the sour & bitter and brash up front but there is sweet behind it which, in my opinion, is the best tone in any spirit. I get so tired of Carmel in my whiskey. So call me bias. But this has character.

Mary,
Jan 11, 2017

I wouldn't pay $75 for a bottle, but for $50-60, this is a great mezcal. If it were full price, I would have given it 7 or 8 stars. It's smooth, but has just enough smokiness to add character to a drink. It doesn't have the bite or kick of a less expensive mezcal. If you're new to mezcals, I suggest this. If you want to avoid smoke all together, try a tequila instead.

David,
Jan 11, 2017

Mezcals are smokey, get over it. And for half the price of a Maguey, its a bargain.

Michael,
Nov 30, 2016

This is like a nice creamy tequila with a slightly astringent smokiness. It's not for everybody, but if you enjoy smoke and phenol, this is worth a shot

Van,
Sep 25, 2016

I couldn't get past the smoke. It was smooth, tasted like an ashtray.

Deja,
Aug 7, 2016

Whoa..

Virgil,
Aug 6, 2016

Good stuff

Gregory,
Jul 5, 2016

Very distinct flavor. I liked it a lot but my friends didn't, they said it tasted too "ashy" which is why I liked it. Very smooth for a Mezcal.